10 Underrated Hard Rock Albums Of The '90s

8. Insomniac - Green Day

At the end of 1994, it seemed that Green Day had gotten the pop punk Golden Ticket. Throwing caution to the wind and signing to a major label, their first impression with Dookie became one of the biggest albums of the decade, with landmark singles like Longview and Welcome to Paradise turning up all over MTV. Even though this kind of success would be a dream come true for most bands, Green Day returned to the studio more pissed than ever.

After taking to the road, these guys ended up catching flak from naysayers branding them as sellouts before even listening to their music. Looking to prove their punk rock credentials all over again, Insomniac is the sound of three guys becoming fed up with their critics, their management, and themselves all at the same time. Instead of the songs about smoking pot and masturbation, these were a lot angrier than usual, from the feeling of loneliness on Brain Stew to the struggles with anxiety on Panic Song.

Those naysayers were certainly not off the table either, with 86 and Walking Contradiction being direct jabs at their core fanbase who had long since abandoned them. While nothing could have lived up to the gargantuan task of following up Dookie, Insomniac at least proved that Green Day were still looking to expand upon the punk-centric pop that made them famous to begin with.